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Theory of Quantum Physics provides a beginner's guide to this difficult and rarely understood area.
Quantum Physics. If you're not a scientist, then these two words fill you full of worry and anxiety. This is because Quantum Physics is not easily understood and is a mystery to most people. Quantum physics, along with the theory of relativity, is one of the two major revolutionary ideas that shook the world of physics to the core in the early 20th century.
Quantum Physics destroyed the idea of a simple world of forces and particles moving against a fixed backdrop; replacing it instead with a world where particles can be in more than one place at once.
This book attempts to tell the story of Quantum Physics through the gifted scientists who have made the field famous. Most of the scientists involved in the area of Quantum Physics won the Nobel Prize and this alone shows how difficult it really is.
In fact, we are still not 100% clear about what Quantum Physics really is. Simply described, this area of Physics deals with the behavior of matter and energy on very small scales.
Before Quantum Physics there was Sir Isaac Newton, a towering scientific figure who had dominated Physics for hundreds of years. The book tells us that, "Newton was the first to formulate a general theory of physics that could be used to explain a wide range of phenomena and make testable, accurate predictions about the world."
From this we move onto a discussion of: "The Double Slit Experiment and Wave Particle Duality." Eminent scientists such as Robert Hooke, Christian Huygens and Thomas Young were debating about the nature of light; this experiment was to lead Science to the edge of a revolution in thinking.
The first scientist to move the idea of Quantum Physics forward was Max Planck. We take a detailed look at Max Planck's work. This is followed up by an examination of the work and lives of the other major scientists involved in Quantum Physics.
These are:
• Niels Bohr the Danish physicist and his work on the Atom
• Werner Heisenberg and the Uncertainty Principle
• Paul Dirac and his transformation Theory
• Edwin Schrodinger and his cat.
• Louis De Broglie
• Albert Einstein
• John Bell
• Hugh Everett
The work of each scientist is dissected and his influence on Quantum Physics discussed. Their contributions are minutely examined.
From this the book moves on to looking at The Major Interpretations of Quantum Physics. The Copenhagen Interpretation is looked at first, followed by Everett's many worlds interpretation. These are the two most popular interpretations but two that have gained credence over the years are de Broglie's pilot wave interpretation and the consistent histories approach of Robert Griffiths.
The book concludes with an examination of the role of Quantum Physics in computing and the development of Quantum computers, which could solve previously unsolvable Mathematical problems. Quantum Physics is not easy. This book offers a good introduction to its principles, to its main proponents and a glimpse into its possible future.
Quantum Physics. If you're not a scientist, then these two words fill you full of worry and anxiety. This is because Quantum Physics is not easily understood and is a mystery to most people. Quantum physics, along with the theory of relativity, is one of the two major revolutionary ideas that shook the world of physics to the core in the early 20th century.
Quantum Physics destroyed the idea of a simple world of forces and particles moving against a fixed backdrop; replacing it instead with a world where particles can be in more than one place at once.
This book attempts to tell the story of Quantum Physics through the gifted scientists who have made the field famous. Most of the scientists involved in the area of Quantum Physics won the Nobel Prize and this alone shows how difficult it really is.
In fact, we are still not 100% clear about what Quantum Physics really is. Simply described, this area of Physics deals with the behavior of matter and energy on very small scales.
Before Quantum Physics there was Sir Isaac Newton, a towering scientific figure who had dominated Physics for hundreds of years. The book tells us that, "Newton was the first to formulate a general theory of physics that could be used to explain a wide range of phenomena and make testable, accurate predictions about the world."
From this we move onto a discussion of: "The Double Slit Experiment and Wave Particle Duality." Eminent scientists such as Robert Hooke, Christian Huygens and Thomas Young were debating about the nature of light; this experiment was to lead Science to the edge of a revolution in thinking.
The first scientist to move the idea of Quantum Physics forward was Max Planck. We take a detailed look at Max Planck's work. This is followed up by an examination of the work and lives of the other major scientists involved in Quantum Physics.
These are:
• Niels Bohr the Danish physicist and his work on the Atom
• Werner Heisenberg and the Uncertainty Principle
• Paul Dirac and his transformation Theory
• Edwin Schrodinger and his cat.
• Louis De Broglie
• Albert Einstein
• John Bell
• Hugh Everett
The work of each scientist is dissected and his influence on Quantum Physics discussed. Their contributions are minutely examined.
From this the book moves on to looking at The Major Interpretations of Quantum Physics. The Copenhagen Interpretation is looked at first, followed by Everett's many worlds interpretation. These are the two most popular interpretations but two that have gained credence over the years are de Broglie's pilot wave interpretation and the consistent histories approach of Robert Griffiths.
The book concludes with an examination of the role of Quantum Physics in computing and the development of Quantum computers, which could solve previously unsolvable Mathematical problems. Quantum Physics is not easy. This book offers a good introduction to its principles, to its main proponents and a glimpse into its possible future.
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- SeriesScientific Concepts #5